This 1 Shocking Request May Have Been a Sign Vanessa Trump and Donald Trump Jr. Were Heading for Divorce

Several people have left the Trump White House. Now people are leaving the Trump family. After roughly 13 years of marriage, Vanessa and Donald Trump Jr. are getting divorced. This comes as a surprise to almost everyone except for their closest friends and family.

Right now, the reason for the divorce is unclear. However, there were plenty of signs this relationship wouldn’t last much longer.

Here’s what we know about Vanessa and Donald Trump Jr.’s relationship and the one request that raised red flags.

Living separately

The couple hasn’t lived together for some time. | Spencer Platt/Getty Images

One day before an official announcement was made, sources told Page Six the couple was heading for divorce. From the looks of it, they’ve been having marital trouble for some time. Sources confirmed Donald and Vanessa have been living separate lives (however, they are not legally separated). Their situation is reminiscent of Matt Lauer and Annette Roque, another famous couple who lived separate lives, yet remained married.

Next: The never-ending business trip.

A lonely life

Sources also told Page Six the couple was rarely together. “He’s never there,” said the source. “Don Jr. has been busy traveling, which has contributed to their problems. Vanessa is a devoted mother, but she is increasingly lonely and alone in the house with the children.”

Between business travel and hunting trips, there was little time left for them to spend together. Donald and Vanessa planned to remain together until President Trump finished his term, but they couldn’t hold on for much longer.

Next: Things go terribly wrong.

The white powder incident

She opened a letter that contained white powder. | Win McNamee/Getty Images

Vanessa Trump is rarely in the news, but her name appeared in headlines when she was rushed to the hospital after opening a package containing white powder. Earlier in 2018, Vanessa opened a letter that was addressed to Donald Jr. When she opened the letter, she encountered a white substance (it was later determined to be cornstarch).

David Schnall, a resident of the Trump’s apartment building, told NBC News the incident was likely someone’s way to express their anger about the Trump presidency. “The media is inflaming a lot of hysteria with regard to Trump and this is just a product of that. There is an inflammation of hatred towards the president and anything to do with him …”

Next: This one request has us scratching our heads.

A strange request

Being in the public eye is hard, but it’s even tougher when you’re related to the president of the United States—and a controversial president at that. This automatically makes you a target for people who oppose the president and his views. And this is why Secret Service protection is necessary. However, Donald Trump Jr. decided one day that he didn’t need their protection.

Next: Yep, he wanted to be a lone ranger.

What?

Donald Trump Jr. requested Secret Service for him and possibly his wife and children to be suspended, according to The New York Times. He reportedly said he wanted more privacy. However, the Secret Service detail was restored not long afterward.

Rich Staropoli, a former member of the Trump administration and former Secret Service agent, told The Washington Post the Secret Service rotated temporary agents to staff the security details of Trump Jr.’s five children. He asserts the rotating schedule might have been disconcerting for the couple’s children, who would encounter different agents each time their shift changed. Said Staropoli: “Every few weeks they get new people. There are all these new people coming and going. The kids don’t like that. They can’t get comfortable with someone they don’t know.”

Next: Sure.

Why all the secrecy?

It’s hard to believe the kids were that bothered by Secret Service. Considering the risk that comes with being a member of the president’s family, this request doesn’t make a lot of sense. What was Trump Jr. hiding? Could he have been carrying on an extramarital affair? Perhaps the couple was fighting so much they didn’t want others to see how miserable they really were. We don’t know for sure, but this request does look suspicious. In an interview with The Washington Post, former Secret Service agent Jonathan Wackrow called Trump Jr.’s choice “shocking” and “negligent.”

Next: Like father like son.

He likes his privacy

He’s a private person. | John Moore/Getty Images

This isn’t the first time Trump Jr. asked Secret Service to leave him alone. CNN reports he also requested to travel without their protection during a family trip to the Bahamas during the summer of 2017. The Secret Service was reluctant but agreed to honor the request after sources say he “demanded” they waive protection. One thing Donald Trump Sr. and Donald Trump Jr. have in common is that they like their privacy (it is rumored Trump Sr. has a lock on his bedroom door).

Next: This is what some noticed about Vanessa’s timing.

The timing of the divorce filing

New of the divorce broke the same day Mueller subpoenaed the Trump Organization. | Alex Wong/Getty Images

Page Six notes the divorce filing occurred the same day as special counsel Robert Mueller subpoenaed President Trump’s family business, requesting that the Trump Organization release information related to the Russia investigation. A divorce lawyer told the publication Vanessa may be filing now so she can get a financial settlement before the Mueller probe potentially puts Trump Jr.’s assets at risk.

Next: This is how the soon-to-be exes met.

How they met

It took a while for the pair to hit it off. | Carlo Allegri/Getty Images

Vanessa and Trump Jr. met in 2003 at a fashion show. President Trump introduced her to Trump Jr.—twice. She told The New York Times in a 2006 interview that Trump Sr. had introduced them twice within five minutes. At the time, there wasn’t a love connection and the two went their separate ways. A few weeks later, they met again at another party and hit it off this time.

Next: Not much is known about Vanessa.

Who is Vanessa Trump?

She’s a former model. | Scott Olson/Getty Images

Just like almost all the women in the Trump family (both past and present family members) Vanessa is a former model. (Marla Maples as well as Ivana, Melania, and Ivanka Trump are all former models, so this is no surprise.) Vanessa used to work with the Wilhelmina agency and grew up on the Upper East Side of Manhattan in New York. She’s known for dating actor Leonardo DiCaprio.